Friday, February 8, 2013

Nove Mesto Yet Again

This place seems to make leaps and bounds every time I come back. I had only heard a rumor back in 2007 that Nove Mesto wanted world champs. This was back when IBU cups were called Europa Cups. As of yesterday's mixed relay there is no doubt that this place deserves Worlds.
In 2007 there were no stands to encompass two thirds of the stadium. There was no underground tunnels leading to the starting pen, and the wax cabins were minimized. The courses were so mellow you could almost all V2 all of it. Since then the atmosphere has changed. The new course starts out with a hefty climb and overall suits my style. Unlike most other race venue's the distance from the wax cabin to the starting gate isn't a journey. This is extremely convenient in a race day situation. The Y club is also very close. Overall I have to applaud the layout.
The first race of the championships was yesterday with the mixed relay. I didn't take part in it, but I sure did watch it from my hotel room's bed. The USA had a very solid race. Not too far off the the top six. I was happy for the Czech team to hit the podium. As large as the stands are they were fully pact. You could safely bet that there was a lot of pressure on them for this race and they handled it pretty well.

The old days.... When I was a Junior...

Tomorrow brings us to the sprint competition. I don't know what my start number is, but I will be towards the back of the field. The training camp in Antholz was a success. Performance seemed to come together right at the last moment. Shooting has been feeling secure all week and ski speed has magically taken an upward swing. It's that time of year again. The legs start to feel fresh and the focus singles in on a few days. The hours are no longer a concern, the carbohydrate percentage goes up, and down time is limitless. With out any real race since the Antholz WC behind me there is no way to confirm any suspicions, but I'm sticking with the positive thoughts.

Sorry for the lack of new pictures to show the contrast. I'll try to snag some later on.

With less than 24 hours to go I'll soon know well enough where I stack up. This isn't a sport of promises. It's more of probability. If you have access to NBC sports I suggest you tune in tomorrow for some coverage action. Otherwise, biathlonworld.com works fine. Here goes round one of World champs for this Stockholm residence.